2009 International Prize for Arabic Fiction

The longlist of 16 books was chosen from 121 eligible entries and are as follows (in alphabetical order);

The Bottle and the Genie, Mohammad Abu Maatouk

The Tobacco Guard, Ali Badr

Hunger, Mohammad Al Bsati,

The Unfaithful Translator, Fawaz Haddad

The Man From Andalucia, Salem Hameesh

Prayer For The Family, Renée Hayek

Confessions, Rabih Jaber

Platoon Of Ruin, Abdel Kareem Jouaitly,

The American Granddaughter, Inaam Kachachi

The Tumour, Ibrahim Al Koni,

Black Taste, Black Odour, Ali Al Muqri

Time Of White Horses, Ibrahim Nasrallah

The Scents Of Marie-Claire, Al Habib Salmi

Intensive Care, Izzedin Shukri

Ma’ Al Sama’, Yehya Yekhlef

Beelzebub, Yussef Zeydan

The longlist has been selected by a panel of five judges from Europe and the Arab World. As is customary with the prize, the 2009 judges will be announced at the same time as the shortlist, on 10 December 2008.

They’ll announce the winner on March 6th, 2009, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.